


DragonHeart

by Wildchu



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Knights, F/F, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-09-25
Packaged: 2019-05-17 20:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14838302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildchu/pseuds/Wildchu
Summary: After a horrendous dragon attack on the kingdom of Makapu, King Hiroshi Sato decides to assign some knights to ensure the safety of his daughter, Asami Sato from future attacks. But even with the knights by her side, Asami and the gang may find trouble in more ways than one.





	1. Knighthood

_For the small village of Makapu, there was absolute chaos. All along the horizon, walls of flames scorched the land and deadly ashes plumed into the night sky. Screams of horror reverberated through the area as villagers ran away from their burning homes. The forest around the village lit up the sky like a nightlight, vibrant hues of orange and red painting it. The causalities continued to build up from the stray flames._

_Among the ruined streets and scorched down houses, a large, ferocious dragon stood. Its size comparable to that of the nearby mountains, the creature let out a furious howl, its dark-blue feathered wings pushed down with immense force. With its eyes narrowed towards the castle in the middle of the town, the dragon took its first steps towards it._

__

_The beast was met with resistance, though, as the royal knights blocked its way. With their swords and shields, ready in hand, the knights formed a wall between them and the castle. A dame in her mid-30’s soon rose up from the row of men, her sword pointed directly at the creature._

__

_“This is as far as you’re going to get, you monster!” Lin yelled out, her men following suit in agreement. The dragon let out another roar, its breath of fire spewing down on the group._

* * *

__

__

_Back at the castle, King Hiroshi Sato scrambled his way through the long halls. From one of the narrow windows in the room, he took a glimpse outside to see the dragon lashing its long tail out at his knights. As much as it pained him, the King had very little time to worry for his wife was waiting for him at the end of the corridor._

__

__

_Once he entered the royal chambers, he was greeted by the agonized screams of his laboring wife. King Sato ran to her bedside with a look of concern on his face as he held onto his beloved’s hands. The Queen let out a heavy puff, her gaze softening upon the sight of his Highness._

__

__

_“Yasuko, my dear…,” Hiroshi said softly, “I am here now. It’s going to be okay.” Her royal highness nodded gingerly before letting out another strained groan. The maids busied themselves around the room, preparing all the necessities for the delivery._

* * *

__

__

_Try as they might, the royal knights proved to be ineffective against the beast in front of them. One by one, they fell to the ground as the dragon effortlessly swiped its large claws across the defense line, slashing off their armor. It huffed out, clearly annoyed at the futile efforts of the army._

__

__

_“Stand firm! We cannot allow for this beast to get near the King!” Lin barked, raising her shield up to parry the dragon’s lashing tail. “Stand back up and fight!”_

__

__

_Just as the dame spoke, the blue creature roared with all of its might, as its wings came down to push itself off of the ground. Without a moment’s hesitation, the dragon unleashed another fiery breath directly at the dame, its tail whipping about and knocking her down a few feet away from where she stood._

__

__

_With a powerful gust of wind, the beast propelled itself up into the air and started making headway towards the palace. It took no time at all for it to reach the walls, and it soon found itself perched atop one of the spiraling towers. Its claws wrapped itself around the structure and tore it off with ease, casting the rubble aside. The dragon howled as it continued its destruction, tearing each tower down until it finally found what it was looking for: The King’s Chamber Room._

__

__

_The walls were soon ripped out from the room, and in it stood the King and Queen. King Sato looked up at the beast in horror, completely frozen from the sight in front of him. It seemed to him that his knights had failed him, and now he would be facing his own demise. The Queen, on the other hand, laid completely still in the bed, and in her arms, a small baby girl squirmed around, letting out soft cries._

__

__

_Just as the dragon was about to attack, it caught a glimpse of the newborn and stopped in its track. With one last huff, the beast suddenly took off into the night sky and disappeared behind the mountains._

* * *

After the birth of the princess, the kingdom flourished and soon found itself in a new golden age which lasted for almost two decades. The small village eventually became a thriving capital, and one could say that it rivaled that of Ba Sing Se. Life in the kingdom seemed fulfilling and plentiful.

Asami Sato grew up to be a gorgeous young woman, envied by many as the fairest of them all, and was adored to no end by the people of Makapu. Ever since her birth, many felt that she was the reason for their growing and continuing prosperity.

“All hail Princess Asami!” the people would chant whenever her carriage was pulled through the town center. The princess would wave back from her seat, a smile so sweet it melted everyone’s hearts.

Despite the relative peace, King Sato still feared the day the dragon would come back and wreak havoc once more on the land. He established an academy where both women and men alike could enroll in, specifically trained to defeat the beast if it were to ever return.

Many people entered the academy with the hopes of fame and wealth, as well as being by the King’s side; however, only a few were able to graduate with flying colors. Korra was one of those few, a fact that she never failed to mention to her fellow peers, Mako and Bolin. 

As one of the few females chosen for the King’s army, Korra often found herself at the center of many conversations, especially among the older knights in the court.

“Of all the people King Sato could have chosen, why would he choose such a scrawny lot?” one of the knights whispered. “Especially a young lady such as that…?” The men continued to chatter amongst themselves, much to Korra’s annoyance.

“I’ll show them who’s scrawny…,” she muttered angrily, glaring at the group. Suddenly she felt an elbow jab into her side.

“Hey now. You need to calm down,” Mako said quietly. “We’re about to meet the King, and it’s going to do us no good if you started a fight in front of his throne room.”

Korra grunted, crossing her arms over her chest. Mako was right, much to her displeasure. “Fine. But if they make another comment about us, I can’t guarantee for their well-being,” she said, earning a scoff from the other.

“Uhm…guys…I don’t think we should be talking about…,” Bolin snuck into the conversation nervously, “…you know. Beating those guys up when we’re only a couple feet away from them…”

Before the situation could escalate, Lin Beifong emerged from the doors. A look of annoyance crossed her face at the sight of them. “You know, the least you three could do in front King Sato is look somewhat presentable. Now come along. He’s waiting for you.”

The trio entered the throne room, and there in the center of the room, the beloved King sat. King Sato stared at them, his eyes examining each one of them from head to toe.

“My my. When my advisors said the graduates were young, I did not expect you all to be this young,” he said with a hearty chuckle, beckoning them to come closer. Once they made it, the three knelt down on their knees. “Lin, have you seen my daughter?”

“No, sir. I believe she may still be in her calligraphy lesson.”

“Hmph. I thought I stressed to her how important today was,” he said with discontent. Just as he finished his sentence, Asami emerged from the doors out of breath, a rather perturbed look on her.

“I’m sorry! I’m here, Father,” the princess said, curtsying before settling into the seat next to her father. She tucked her curly raven hair behind her ear, and Korra couldn’t help but notice how flawless and beautiful she was. Her Highness managed to catch her gaze, causing the knight to look down, flustered.

King Sato let out a heavy sigh, adjusting his glasses before turning to the trio and Lin. “This is my beloved daughter, Asami, as I’m sure you are all aware of. Seeing as you all have passed the academy in a short amount of time, I’ve decided to assign you as my daughter’s personal guards and entrust her safety to you.”

Korra glanced up in surprise, looking over to Mako and Bolin to see the same expression on their face.

His Highness looked over towards his daughter, a smile adorned on his face. “Tomorrow, I need you to escort her safely to Ba Sing Se, and I expect you to leave first thing in the morning.” 


	2. Icebreaker

Korra was the first of the group to get up, the early light of the morning barely peaking over the horizon. She made her way over towards the stables, maneuvering past the servants who were preparing the princess’s eel hound, and stopped in front of gates. Recognizing her scent, a large white polar bear dog rushed over to meet her, tail wagging eagerly.

“Hey Naga,” Korra cooed, petting her companion lovingly on the head and cuddling her close. “I’ve got something for you, but you have to keep quiet about it,” she said in a hushed voice. She reached over towards the satchel on her side, and pulled out a cloth with a chunk of steak inside. Naga chowed through the treat, causing the knight to laugh.

“Wow. This is a first,” Mako spoke behind her. “You’re actually up this early? Since when did you start taking things so seriously?” he teased, a cocky grin on his face. His brother followed closely behind, still in a sleepy daze as he yawned with tears in his eyes. Similar to her outfit, the brothers wore some metal shoulder pads over their white tunic shirts, their swords sheathed and secured to one side of their hips.

“Oh shut up. You know this isn’t the first time,” she snapped back, narrowing her eyes at them. “King Sato trusted us with an important task right off the bat, so obviously, I’m not going to take this lightly. We’re not going to be some palace guards who sit around, after all!”

“Yeah, but I wish he had told us to go later in the day,” Bolin said with a whine. “It’s so early in the morning that I can’t even feel my braaain…” He toppled over onto Mako, his eyes closed and his mouth pursed together in a pout.

“I agree,” piped a voice from behind.

Startled, the three knights turned around, spotting none other than the beloved princess herself. Asami stood poised with one hand resting gently on her hips, and smiled at them, but Korra could have sworn it was more directed at her. If looks could kill, then Korra would have dropped dead by now (and in a good way).

“But my father wants this trip to take as little time as possible,” Asami sighed. The princess glanced over towards her servants. “I, on the other hand, don’t even want to go on this trip, period.”

As if remembering they were in the presence of royalty, the trio bowed down in front of her abruptly. “Princess Asami!” they shouted, making Asami jolt up in surprise.

“Oh please. You don’t need to be so stiff around me,” her highness said. “I’m not one for formalities anyways.”

The three glanced at each other uncertainly, debating whether or not to go against their teachings at the academy when faced with royalty. Before any of them could respond, Naga suddenly sprung towards Asami, licking her face feverishly. The polar bear dog’s tail wagged excitedly.

“Naga! No!” Korra yelled in a stern voice. She tried to pull her companion off of the royal highness, her face flustered beyond comprehension. Naga whined, a sad gleam in her eyes. “You are not allowed to pounce on the princess like that!”

Asami laughed. “It’s alright. I don’t mind,” she said, petting the creature fondly. Naga leaned into her touch eagerly, her tail thumping lightly against the ground. “I guess this journey won’t be too bad. Come. The preparations are finished.”

* * *

The group started moving west, entering into densely packed forest with a lightly paved road. After her initial embarrassment in front of the princess, Korra decided to trail behind the rest of them, urging Naga to slow down each time she got remotely close to the group. It was one thing for her to have been caught staring at Asami the first time they met, but it’s another to have her polar bear dog attack her. To the princess, Korra must seem like the most incompetent knight, especially compared to Mako and Bolin who started a conversation with her highness.

Despite it all, the dame found herself staring at Asami again, noting how beautiful she looked in her red blouse-like top, silk draped along her shoulders, and her dark-raven hair flowing down her back with one braided strand carefully stretching across the back of her head. Korra found herself blushing deeply. She has to admit; the princess was _extremely_ attractive.

Asami noticed she was missing one of her royal guards and glanced back, seeing Korra quite a distance behind them, her head tilted down. “Is she going to be alright? She doesn’t seem too well,” she said with concern.

“Who? Korra? Nah,” Bolin answered, casually munching on something from his pouch. “She’s probably just brooding over what happened with Naga and you. She gets embarrassed pretty easily.”

Mako chuckled. “Yeah, yet she’s always bragging about all the things she can do just because she’s the top. She’ll brag about anything, like being able to wrestle a badgermole.”

“Oh! Or fight an army of knights blindfolded!” Bolin added.

“Or be able to wolf down a king-sized bowl of noodles.”

“Or hold her breath the longest while juggling some fruit!”

“I can hear you, you know!” Korra fumed, catching up with them, a deep, crimson blush across her cheeks. Though it’s true she was recognized by the chief knight as the top graduate of her class, it is not entirely accurate. Mako, Bolin, and her had tied for the spot and were evenly matched in terms of strength and skills, but Korra was chosen to bolster the Academy’s reputation due to her gender. The only significant difference between them were the dark rune-like symbols on the brothers’ forearms.

The princess laughed, raising a hand to cover her mouth. Amusement flickered in her green eyes at the trio’s banter. “You guys are too much!” Her smile was captivating, freezing everyone in place momentarily. Soon, the knights found themselves laughing with her.

* * *

The tension in the group quickly dissipated after that, and they managed to travel a considerable amount of distance when the sun started to set. They decided on a spot not too far from the road, but far enough where they were still hidden in the trees. Once their ostrich horses were firmly tied down, the boys went off to find some firewood and tinder, leaving the girls alone at the campsite.

Korra busied herself with unpacking the bags, starting to roll out some of the mats for sleeping. The dame then went to check on their food supplies, letting out an audible groan once she realized Bolin had already devoured most of their jerky, which was supposed to have lasted them a week or so. She was too occupied with her work to notice Asami gazing intently at her.

Her Highness managed to sit on top of Naga with both of her legs on one side and watched as Korra lifted the heavy saddle from her eel hound, her toned muscles clearly visible. Asami found herself admiring the knight, her interest piqued once she spotted a light tribal marking on the other’s right bicep. The markings were certainly not anything the princess could recognize, and it only furthered her curiosity when the dame pulled her sleeves down to cover it.

Aside from the kingdoms of Omashu and Makapu, not many kingdoms around the area had markings as distinct as the one on Korra’s arm. For Omashu, those with marks were either from the royal family or those who have a high enough standing in society to be on the same plane as them. As for Makapu, she was unsure what it was for, even though she’s supposed to know everything about her own kingdom. Before Asami could even ask, Mako and Bolin returned with a stack of wood in their arms.

Korra turned around. “Whoa guys. We don’t need that much, you know. We’re only camping for the night!”

“It’s better to be prepared than regretful. Remember the last time we thought we were good to go, and then it started to rain in the middle of the night?” Mako quipped back. Setting the wood down in the center of camp, he started to make the bonfire.

Thinking now was the perfect time, the princess hopped down from Naga’s back and walked over to Mako. “So what exactly are these?” She pointed at the runes on his arm, also glancing at Bolin’s to see different curves and strokes.

“You don’t know?” Mako raised an eyebrow, scanning the princess’s face to see if she was being serious or not. The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smile. “I guess you’re not all that familiar with the academy your father built, huh?” Asami shook her head.

King Sato was a brilliant man, and there was no doubt in her heart that he was one of the greatest rulers of his time. But as such, he spent most of his time worrying about the kingdom and the safety of his people, and often overlooked his own daughter. Although Asami would have liked to be closer to her father, she understood the burden he had to carry. She knew it had been especially hard on him when her mother died after giving birth to her.

Mako held out his hand to the royal highness. Suddenly a small ball of flame ignited in his palm and Asami gasped. With the flames, he lit up the pile of wood, just as night began to fall. “It’s what gives us our powers, you know. Powers to defend the kingdom from future attacks.”

“Yup!” Bolin puffed out his chest with pride. “Only a select few of us are able receive it, but we can only choose one of the four elements. Mako chose fire, and I chose earth.”

“That’s amazing,” Asami said with awe. She took a glance over towards the last knight, noticing she was grooming Naga and occupying herself as if she was trying to avoid the conversation. “What about Korra?” She turned back to the brothers who started to shuffle uncomfortably.

“I don’t have one,” Korra responded before they could, a bit of an edge to her voice. “It was the one thing at that academy I wasn’t able to accomplish.”

The princess gaped, pursing her lips soon after. She was unsure how to respond after that confession. She held her gaze on Mako and Bolin, hoping they would provide some sort of help. “Then…how were you boys able to pull it off?” Asami immediately regretted her words as soon as they poured out.

“Some bullshit thing where you have to be ‘one with your body and spirit’ and harness your inner being,” Korra scoffed harshly. She hopped onto her furry companion’s back. “I’m going to scout around the area to make sure there’s no threats.” With that, she urged Naga away from the campsite and disappeared into the darkness.

Asami could feel the back of her throat tighten, guilt building up in her chest. Mako approached her and lightly placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey. Don’t worry about it. Just let her cool off for a bit,” Mako assured her. “It’ll be alright.”

“I hope you’re right,” the princess said quietly, staring worriedly in the direction Korra went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been awhile since I've written anything seriously such as this, but I would like to thank everyone who's read this story so far and have given me kudos and comments. It really means a lot to me that people are enjoying it so far. :)


	3. The Monk

The gang continued their journey westward the next day. The tension seemed to have returned to the group, and everyone except Korra seemed uncomfortable with the harsh atmosphere. This time around, the female knight rode ahead of the group, creating a noticeable distance between them. Ever since she returned late last night, she has yet to speak a single word.

It’s probably a silly thing for Korra to get upset about. After all, she still managed to graduate and was given the highest honor of protecting Princess Asami. She should feel proud and fortunate.

But she doesn’t. At least, not wholeheartedly. Something about not being able to possess a rune like her friends made her feel…less. Her whole life, she’s been able to excel in just about everything she did, and even exceeded everyone’s expectations. There was always something Korra was lacking though, and it made her feel like it was not enough. But the knight knew very well why she was unable to possess the marking.

Lost in her thought, Korra almost didn’t notice Mako calling from behind. She glanced back, tugging Naga to a complete stop for them to catch up. Her eyes lingered briefly on the princess, and when their gazes met, Asami averted her eyes. The dame felt a pang of guilt in her chest.

“What’s the matter?” she asked, her eyebrows raised. Mako pointed towards the road up ahead, leading her gaze to a figure in the distance.

“Given where we are, there shouldn’t be anyone else but us out here,” he said grimly. “The fishing village is still two days away.”

Normally, Korra would argue with Mako and his paranoia, but he did have a point. There didn’t seem to be signs of any other lifeforms. Usually even a merchant would have a carriage or wagon to carry his or her goods on the road. The figure didn’t seem like it was moving either, making it more suspicious. Wordlessly, the knights moved themselves off the pavement and into the woods, ushering Princess Asami towards the undergrowth.

Korra could see some confusion in the princess, which quickly turned to disbelief. “Oh come on. You guys are overreacting,” Asami shook her head. “It could just be someone who’s lost!”

“Maybe, but I wouldn’t put a bet on that. This area is known for its occasional thieves, and that could be one of their scouts,” Mako informed. The other two knights nodded in agreement.

“Wait here. I’ll go check it out,” Korra said without skipping a beat, already directing Naga towards the figure, knowing full well how foolish it was. Even if it truly was a bandit, she could buy the others some time to evacuate the area and make sure the princess was safe.

Back on the road, the dame urged her companion to approach slowly until the figure became clearer. On the edge of the pavement, an old man sat with one of his legs pulled close to his chest, his hand clutching at his side. His hair was fairly long, a mixture of white and black, and it appeared he had a beard to match it. Korra let her defenses down as soon as she recognized his monastery robe. He was a monk.

“Excuse me sir! Are you alright?” she called out to him, gaining his attention as she got closer to him. Korra paused for a moment. For some reason, there was a sense of familiarity about him, but the knight couldn’t place a finger on it.

“Oh thank goodness. I thought I was completely alone out here,” he spoke in a low voice, relief filling his eyes. She glanced down at his side, her eyes widening when she saw a crimson color seep through his hand. Before he could say anything else, Korra hopped off of Naga to help the man up, assisting him onto her companion.

“Don’t worry, sir. I’ll make sure you get some help,” she said, heading back towards the group. Despite everything that was taught to her at the academy about strangers, she just couldn’t turn a blind eye to someone in need.

* * *

After much protest from Mako, they settled down for the night. The man was bandaged up and sat quietly by the campfire with them, finishing his bowl of food. Mako kept a wary eye on him the entire time, casting an occasional glare at Korra. Of course, she glared back at him and mouthed some vulgar phrases at him. Asami let out a giggle as she watched their interactions.

Sensing the tension in the air, the old man let out a cough. “I am sorry if my presence here is making you all uncomfortable, but I can’t thank you enough for saving me,” he said sincerely.

“Oh don’t worry about it, gramps!” Bolin piped up, slurping up the rest of his bowl. “What even happened to you out there?”

Korra noticed the monk flinched a bit at the word ‘gramps’, but otherwise he seemed unfazed by the question. “I was out traveling with a couple of my companions when we were suddenly attacked by a group of armed ruffians. There were too many of them around us, and I found myself split away from the rest of my friends.” He let out a sigh.

“Oh no… that’s terrible…,” Asami muttered, her hands raised to cover her shock. Korra glanced back and forth between the princess and the older man, getting an unsettling feeling in her stomach at she took a closer look at his eyes. Even in the dark, a small faint scar could be seen on the monk’s eye. She’s definitely seen him from somewhere, but where?

“Do you have anywhere to stay, mister?” Bolin asked. “If not, you could stay with us for a bit until we reach the village up ahead!” Mako shot his brother a deadly glare.

“Bolin. Can I speak with you over there?” Mako said with force, sounding more like a command than a request. Bolin hunched his shoulders slightly and followed after him, leaving the girls behind with the man.

The princess watched quietly, confusion settling on her expression. She glanced over towards the last remaining knight, her eyes expressing more than just words.

The dame soon got up and grabbed Asami gently by the wrist. “Excuse us for a moment, sir,” she said briefly before leading them towards where the boys were.

“…we don’t even know where he’s from, and you expect us to shelter him?” Mako yelled in a hushed voice. “We can’t verify his story! He could likely be the thief in his story, but disguised as an innocent civilian!”

“Oh come on, bro! He’s injured! You saw how deep that cut was! You can’t honestly tell me he would do that to himself just to make the story believable!” Bolin argued back, throwing his hands up in the air.

Princess Asami chimed in. “I have to agree with Bolin on this. Who in their right mind would self-inflict pain on them self?”

“A very dedicated and sadistic mastermind. I don’t have a good feeling about this monk,” Korra said with a grim tone.

Mako narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh, says the one _who brought him to us_! Like, what were you even thinking?!”

“Hey! Don’t be blaming me for wanting to help a person out!” she spat out, pointing accusingly at the firebender. It’s not her fault, after all, for having a big heart.

“Oh, excuse me! For a second there, I thought you were a knight who protects the princess! I didn’t know you were the monk’s protector!” he said sarcastically.

“Alright ENOUGH!” Bolin pushed himself in between the two, shoving the pair away from each other. “If you guys are unsure about this dude, why don’t we just take turns at night to make sure he doesn’t do anything funny?”

Both Korra and Mako continued to glare at each other. As much as they would hate to admit it, Bolin made a pretty good suggestion. But even so, it was highly unlikely the anger between them would dissipate any time soon.

* * *

Much to Korra’s relief, Mako decided to take the first shift of the night. The uneasiness she felt around the man did not disappear, but she was far too tired to concern herself with it. The stress of the day was starting to catch up to her, and after the previous night’s scout, she was grateful when sleep came easily to her. She did not know how long she was knocked out for when she suddenly jolted awake to muffled screaming.

The knight sat up, her eyes frantically scanning around the camp. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Mako near the ashes of the campfire, lying unconscious with his face planted down in the ground. Her eyes flicked up to the side to where Bolin’s spot was, horror filling her eyes when she spotted the other knight knocked out against the tree behind him. The princess and the monk were nowhere to be seen, and only a small red flower remained in the center of the camp. Suddenly it clicked in her mind as to who the man was.

“ _Zaheer_ ,” she hissed under her breath, dread coating her voice.

She searched around the area for any signs of where they could have gone, the distant sound of rustling leaves catching her attention. Korra jumped to her feet and immediately got on Naga’s back, giving chase to where the rustling was coming from.

“Hurry, Naga! We have to get the princess back!” she said with panic, her chest tightening up. This was her fault for trusting too easily.

Naga ran as fast as she could, huffing and puffing with each leap. They couldn’t have gone far, Korra thought – or at least she hoped. Fear swelled up in her chest, and a heavy sense of guilt built up. The King had entrusted his daughter to her, and now the knight had lost her.

Just when she was about to lose hope of finding Asami, she found something up ahead: a horse-driven carriage.

“Naga! Faster!” she spurred on breathlessly, watching as the distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Korra was able to recognize the princess in the back, her mouth gagged with a thick white fabric, and her hands tied tightly behind her. Asami’s eyes lit up in the night when she spotted the knight.

But she was not alone.

A tall, broad woman with strange markings on her forehead sat beside the princess. Her crimson eyes narrowed at Korra, and suddenly a ball of flame was shot at her.

The dame quickly directed her beast to the side, narrowly missing the attack. Korra reached for the sword on her side, holding it back behind her. When another fireball hurled towards her, she sliced through the flames, extinguishing it in a heartbeat. “Give back the princess!” she yelled, trying to get Naga closer. She managed close the distance briefly, but then slowly it started to grow wider as the beast slowed down, panting heavily from exhaustion. It seemed like her companion was at her limits.

Without thinking, Korra made a jump for the carriage, her free arm reaching out to grab whatever she could hold on to. She clambered on, swiftly jumping to her feet to jab the woman with the hilt of her sword. In the woman’s moment of daze, Korra shoved the woman out the back and watched as she tumbled and rolled down the pavement. The knight turned around to look at Asami, but a gust of wind suddenly blasted her legs from beneath her.

Korra slammed chest-first onto the floor, the lower half of her body hanging off the back. She gritted her teeth as her feet dragged along the rugged road, causing her to pull herself up more. She glanced up towards the front, instantly recognizing Zaheer. With the reins in one of his hands, he turned around to face her, amusement flickering in his eyes. His expression was still exactly the same after all these years, and it was foolish of the knight to not have recognized the man sooner.

“You should have stayed asleep, _knight_. Our job would have been a lot easier,” he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. There was an underlying meaning in his words, and Korra knew exactly what he meant.

“You wish,” she replied venomously, pulling herself up once more. She charged at the monk, discarding her weapon. In a fight against him, the sword would only be a hindrance. She needed to get as close to him as possible. But another gust of wind shoved her to the side, making her collide into Asami.

“I’d love to stick around and chat with you, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to save that for another time. But don’t worry,” the man smiled wickedly, “the Red Lotus will come finish what it started.”

Zaheer hopped onto one of the horses and released the reins. With his hands raised up near his chest, he summoned a small but powerful ball of air and launched it towards the carriage, sending both the princess and the knight far behind.

The strength of the wind nearly tore through the fabric roof, and Korra instinctively reached out to Asami to hold onto her. The coach toppled over onto its side, spewing a dust storm in its wake. The hooves of the horses soon started to grow distant, and the next thing they knew, there was silence. It took a couple moments for them to recover.

The knight let out a strained sigh. “Are you alright?” She reached for the cloth on the princess’s mouth and pulled it down, then untied the ropes from her wrists.

“Yes, I’m okay. Thank you so much for saving me,” Asami said with relief, pulling Korra into a tight hug.

“Yeah…no problem…,” Korra muttered weakly, staring absent-mindedly in the direction the monk went. Her chest tightened up, and for the first time in a while, she felt scared.

It seemed like her past was starting to come back and haunt her.


	4. The Fishing Village

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry for a really, really late update. Life has been really hectic, and not mention a major case of writer's block over the summer. And now school is back in session, I haven't really found any spare time to write more.
> 
> Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to update the story as often as I would like. But you can be darn sure that I am going to try!
> 
> So thank you guys for your patience, and also for your continuous support ^^"

The ride back to camp was tense and uncomfortable. Korra had remained silent the entire way and never looked directly at the princess or the other knights. Asami could see guilt in those light blue eyes, and it saddened her that she could not say anything to lighten up the mood. Korra was most likely blaming herself for the kidnapping, and the royal highness wanted to tell her so badly that it wasn’t her fault – but no words came out.

“I knew that monk was bad news,” Mako sputtered out, clearly ticked off after receiving a huge bump on his head from last night’s scuffle. “I knew, and no one listened to what I said! You were all like, ‘Oh, he’s harmless! He couldn’t raise a finger to swat a fly if he had to!’ _Bullshit_! That monk looked like he could strangle all of us with just his thighs!” 

Mako pointed accusingly at the other two knights who trailed behind. His strangely pointed eyebrows were knitted in tight frustration as he glared at the both of them. The princess tried her hardest to act as if she was not listening, but in truth, she was watching the whole ordeal at the corner of her eyes. 

“Yeah, yeah. We got it. You’re mad at both Korra and I, but… wait. Why were you staring at his thighs?” his brother asked.

The question completely caught Mako by surprise.

“I…. I wasn’t-… I mean how could… He just…,” he struggled to find the right words, fearing that he may dig his grave further down.

Asami let out a soft giggle, quickly stifling it down as soon as she noticed a red tint on Mako’s face.

“Th-that is beside the point, Bolin!” Mako erupted, the tips of his ears starting to turn crimson as well before yanking on the reins to stop his ride directly in front of Korra.

“And what do you have to say for yourself? You were, after all, the only one who was able to get to Asami first.”

Korra stared up at him. Her eyes seemed glassy, and her expression was nothing less of impassive. It was an expression Asami knew all too well, especially since she’d seen it in the mirror every morning.

“There is nothing else to say. I caught up with the monk. I duked it out with him. He fled. The carriage broke, and I saved the princess. That’s all to it.”

Asami could see the muscles in her jaws tighten as she lied through her teeth, a tone of finality in her voice. The warning glare she sent to Mako seemed to have registered and he decided it was best not to pry anymore. Bolin, of course, knew from the start to leave Korra alone and kept his distance from the two while they were conversing with each other.

The princess watched as Mako trotted towards his brother with an irritated scowl on his face. The relationship between her knights was interesting, to say the least.

Naga seemed to sense her master’s mood, slowing her pace down so that they were at the back of the group. The creature’s ears drooped a little, her head pointed downwards and whimpered quietly. Korra paid no heed to her companion’s noises and began losing herself to her own thoughts.

Asami would look back often at the tanned knight, concern weaving its way into her stomach. Korra had lagged behind significantly and the princess wondered at one point if she was still following them.

Her Highness felt a sharp pain in her heart. Even though her time with the trio has been brief, she knew this was not a usual trend for them. After all, her first impression of them was very lighthearted and nowhere near this tense. What exactly happened? Bolin had managed to catch up with her, catching the princess by surprise.

“Hey. Don’t worry. She’ll come around soon,” he reassured her. “She’s just in one of her angry spells.”

Asami nodded softly, offering the brunet a small smile. Although it was impossible to quell her anxiousness, she knew she had to take his words to heart and hope for the best. It was the only thing helping her focus on the road ahead of her.

She was, by all means, a very sheltered princess. Her father was highly protective of her and allowed only a select few individuals to make contact with her during her childhood, including her instructors and a couple maids. Asami had no close friends, and it was definitely lonely for a little child to stare at the chipped bricked walls of the hallways for entertainment. It was a wonder how she was still sane as she grew up.

Her father tried his best to keep her happy by giving her everything she wanted – everything from the finest silk to the most exotic of dishes for supper time. But eventually the charm of earthly possessions wore off, and Asami found little happiness in her life. All she wanted was to experience life outside of the castle.

But when Asami was first told of this journey, she was incredibly apprehensive. Based on prior experiences, there was no way her father would have agreed to such a long trip, especially _without_ him. So, when she heard the news she could not help but suspect some demon had possessed the King and ordered him to send his daughter off with some strangers to Ba Sing Se. Nonetheless, she jumped at the opportunity to gain a taste of freedom.

However, the whole idea of being outside of the kingdom was certainly daunting. It was new territory to Asami and she did not know what to expect on the journey to Ba Sing Se. After the King’s stories of being ambushed by bandits several times during his trip, it honestly frightened her to think her life could be in danger. Perhaps it was more for his sake than hers, but he managed to assure the princess of her knights’ capabilities to protect her.

But even with the knights, her safety was not one-hundred-percent guaranteed. Last night was a demonstration of that.

_‘The Red Lotus will come back and finish what it started.’_

Zaheer’s voice echoed through her head, and a sudden grip of fear seized Asami’s chest. Her knuckles started to turn white as she clenched her fists, the color in her fair face draining. There were so many questions that started to swarm her head. Who was the Red Lotus? Who was the woman with the monk? What did they want with her? But perhaps the most important question of all…

Did Korra know about them?

Recalling the events of last night, Asami started to contemplate even more. When Korra managed to catch up to the carriage, she did not seem at all surprised to see the monk had another accomplice with him. In fact, it seemed almost as if she expected the woman to be there in the back with the princess. And with the way the knight stared at the man, with such fury and fear…

“Asami!”

The princess snapped her head up, startled at the sound of her own name. Bolin waved his hands in front of her face.

“There you are. I thought we had lost you there in la la land,” Bolin mused.

Asami glanced around and was shocked to see she was in the middle of a small village. All around her, the locals roamed out and about, trading and selling their goods in their wooden stalls. Sailors docked their ships near the ports and started unloading their supplies. Unlike in her landlocked kingdom, the scent of salt and raw fish overwhelmed her as an ocean breeze passed through.

“Wow…” The princess’s eyes gleamed in awe. “At this rate, I may as well be!” she giggled.

Sure, the scene in front of her was not something overly impressive or beautiful in a sense, but it was _different_ and rejuvenating to see an environment outside of her father’s reach.

Bolin chuckled. “Well. I’m sure you’ll be glad to be here then because I heard a lot of good-looking people come here to this port to… you know…,” he raised his eyebrows in a suggestive way.

Mako came out of nowhere and smacked his brother from behind the head. “Don’t be an idiot. Just because the princess told you to call her by her real name does not mean you need to act like a creep.”

“Hey! I wasn’t! I was just saying, you know. In case Asami wanted to find a suitor of sorts? You never know what she – OW!” Mako slapped him again.

Asami rolled her eyes but she couldn’t contain her laughter. “I’ll keep that in mind, Bolin.”

Naga’s whining from behind caught her attention, and her royal highness was suddenly reminded of her third knight. Korra continued her awful silent treatment as she trotted past them, her gaze fixated on the townspeople. There was a fierce intensity in her eyes as she scanned over everyone’s faces, and Asami recognized that expression from the night before.

She was looking for the monk.

It put the princess on the edge as concern started to knot up in her stomach. Bolin and Mako didn’t seem to take notice – they were caught up in their own little scuffle between each other. The knight’s eyebrows knitted together in concentration, a frown clear on her face. But suddenly Korra’s gaze softened and Asami let out the breath she did not realize she was holding.

“Come on guys. We need to get to an inn soon before all the rooms are taken,” Korra finally spoke up after what felt like an eternity. Oddly enough, Asami felt some relief at the sound of the other’s voice, even if it was unusually softer than usual.

“Oh please. We still have half the day left to explore! I highly doubt they’re going to run out of rooms,” Bolin argued back in disbelief.

* * *

“I’m sorry. We only have one more room left, and only females are allowed in that section.” The innkeeper said nonchalantly, folding his hands together over his logbook.

Bolin gapped his mouth, his hands covering both of his cheeks as he silently cursed himself out. The princess and the other two knights stood a couple ways away from him after his insistence, and for once he was glad for his smart thinking. Otherwise, he would have probably been beaten to a pulp by now. Deep breaths.

“Erm… I think you misheard me… I wanted to know if there were any more space for the four of us…? You see…,” the younger male leaned in closer to the counter, “my friends and I here are on a very important mission, and we just need a room for one night to rest and recover before… oh you know, saving the world and all.”

It was clear to see the innkeeper was getting more infuriated.

“And I think you’ve misheard me, young man. I said we only have one more room, and that room is for _females_ only,” the old man said loudly enough for the others to hear him.

Suddenly Bolin could feel Korra’s glare burning at the back of his head. He gulped hard as he heard the dame’s footsteps coming up from behind him, each step powerful and purposefully slow. He was not a religious person in the slightest, but he started to pray and latch on to whatever divine being could help protect him in that very moment. Truth be told, no deity would be able to shield him from the girl’s wrath.

“That’s actually perfect, sir! My friend and I will take the room,” Korra said with a chilling sweetness. She turned towards Bolin, smiling ever so brightly. “You boys can find somewhere else, _right_?”

The way she spoke was venomous, paralyzing the poor male in his spot. Bolin had no choice but to nod feverishly, immediately turning his tail and running towards his brother. Mako let out an exasperated sigh, holding his head in his palm.

“She did warn you about this.”

Bolin let out a choked whined. “You’re not helping.”

Mako rolled his eyes and bent down to pick up their bags. “Alright. Come on. You girls better stay safe, you hear me? If you need us, we’ll be out and about in the village.”

“Thanks, guys,” Asami waved them off. Despite the boys essentially being kicked out into the streets, the whole situation was quite comical.

 

The girls were soon escorted to their rooms. Upon opening the doors, they were taken aback by how spacious and decorated the area was. But perhaps the most distinguishing trait of all… 

There was a single queen-sized bed in the center of the room.

The princess didn’t seem like she minded it all that much, elegantly making her way towards it to drop her bags at the foot of the bed. With her arms outstretched, she flopped down right in the middle and let out a loud sigh. All of the tension she was holding onto immediately dissipated once she felt how soft and amazing the mattress, especially after a night of sleeping on the cold hard ground.

“Wow. I’m never going to take my bed for granted ever again,” Asami laughed weakly, rolling herself around.

Aside from the bed creaking beneath her and her breathing, the room was unnervingly silent. Alarmed, the princess sat up, wondering where her knight had gone. To her surprise, Korra remained near the door, her gaze making a sudden shift as if she had been caught staring at the princess. Under the dim lighting of the room, it was hard to tell whether or not the tanned female was blushing.

“Um… I’ll uh… sleep on the floor tonight… You can take the bed,” Korra muttered softly, barely audible enough for Asami to hear, and started shuffling in towards one side of the room.

It was rather cute seeing how shy the knight was. The princess giggled, covering her mouth slightly with the back of her hand.

“Korra, you don’t have to do that. There’s no need to do that. There’s plenty of room up here to fit the both us.”

Her highness patted at the spot next to her to emphasize her point. She could see the hesitation in the other’s eyes and rolled her own before getting up. She grabbed onto Korra’s wrist, jolting the knight in surprise as she dragged her closer towards the bed. The princess forced the brunette to sit down before plopping herself back on with a little bounce.

Korra laughed a sweet sound that made Asami’s heart skip for some reason. “Don’t royalties get taught some sort of a lesson on how to act in front of strangers? Because I’m almost certain princesses aren’t supposed to act like this?”

Her royal highness feigned offense.  “Of course they do! They practically drill it into your head until you can recite in your sleep. But it’s only specific to _other_ royalties, so all manners and etiquettes are out the window when it comes to how I act in front of my personal knights,” she joked, but suddenly realized how easily her words could be taken the wrong way.

“Oh, ouch. You know I’ve worked really hard for my position, being here and all. I do think I deserve _some_ kind of recognition,” there was a slight edge in Korra’s voice, and Asami worried she may have taken it too far.

But then the knight laughed and leaned back on the mattress. “You really are something else, aren’t you your Highness?”

Asami smiled a little at that. “You know you don’t have to call me that. You can just call me by my name,” she rolled over onto her side to face the dame only to be welcomed by a long, concerning pause.

“…Are you sure?”

There was an uncertainty in Korra’s voice. It was distant and Asami was taken aback at how serious the knight had become. The princess looked over and studied the knight carefully.

Out of the three knights accompanying, it hasn’t escaped the princess’s attention that Korra was the only one who has yet to address her by her first name. After a couple, more moments, Asami let out a sigh. “Can I be honest with you?”

The knight stayed still.

Taking the silence as approval, her royal highness sat up in the bed.

“…I was sorta hoping that we could get to know each other better. Since, you know, being as that we are the only females in the group. Don’t get me wrong and all though... The guys are great and wonderful, but I feel like there’s a lot of things they probably won’t understand as well if it were, let’s say, between us girls. N-not that they wouldn’t because they’re incompetent but it’s just…!”

Asami started to blush in embarrassment, realizing she was rambling on. Deep breaths, now.

“What I’m saying is… I would like to be your friend, Korra.”

The knight continued to stare at the wall, not budging in the slightest since the princess rambled on. The silence lingered longer than was needed, and Asami could see the deep contemplation on dame’s face.

Korra’s shoulders slumped down and a small smile crossed her lips. “Yeah, I’d like that.”

Although she was relieved at hearing that, Asami could not help but also feel a little irritated at how long it took her to respond and playfully shoved the knight’s shoulder.

“You really know how to keep a girl on edge, huh?” Asami teased, feeling a yawn come about. “I’m going to head to bed first.”

The knight’s smile widened as she stifled a laugh. “Good night, Asami.”


End file.
